Arctic Wrap

My mom and I have a deal. Every Christmas she gives me an IOU for a class I’d like to take, and in return, I share with her what I learn. Over the years I’ve taken quilting classes, Italian, calligraphy, weaving, machine knitting, the list goes on… What will this year’s class be you ask?!?! Indigo dyeing!

I picture this class in a flower-filled garden or a breezy field (proof, I suppose, that I’ve grown very tired of winter). While I wait to find this perfect springtime class, my imagination fills with inky blues and seeping dyes, and so, I decided to translate the as-of-yet unknown art of indigo dyeing into something I do know… knitting. And since this polar winter is seemingly endless, it feels just right for right now!

For my Arctic Wrap I used Purl Soho’s Worsted Twist merino in the color Heirloom White as a constant backdrop and Purl Soho’s Alpaca Pure for beautiful, shifting color. In a basic 1 stitch x 1 stitch Fair Isle pattern, the blooming halo of Alpaca Pure hovers over the smooth finish of Worsted Twist, highlighting the textural difference and softening the pixelated stitches into a gorgeous knit translation of a dip-dyed fabric.

Working on this generously sized wrap has kept me cozy warm as I daydream about my indigo dyeing class, the sun on my cheeks, my fingers stained deep blue. Are any of you chronic class takers? What are you most curious about lately? Whatever it is, I hope it inspires you to create… maybe even this Arctic Wrap! -Laura

PS: You can get all of the yarn you’ll need for this wrap with Purl Soho’s Arctic Wrap Bundle!

PPS: Two of my all-time favorite classes have been Improvisational Patchwork with Denyse Schmidt, which my mom and I actually took together, and a Calligraphy Workshop with Maybell Imasa-Stukuls, hosted by Bellocq, whose shop and tea I just LOVE.

Materials

Purl Soho’s Arctic Wrap Bundle. Our Arctic Wrap Bundle comes in two palettes. Here, we used the icy cool Glacier. Mountain is a warmer take on the concept and is equally beautiful! Each one includes…

Gauge

Finished Size

Approximately 90 inches long by 20 inches wide

Notes

In the TRANSITION sections of the pattern, you will be working with three strands of yarn. I devised an untraditional stranding method in order to disrupt the pattern on wrong side of the fabric as little as possible. Below is a photo tutorial with detailed instructions on how to carry the yarn across the back when working with three strands during these TRANSITION sections.

For Rows 1, 5, and 7 (right side)

Identify the working yarn. Pull it straight up towards you, separating it from the other strands.

Take the working yarn towards the right, then under the other strands and knit.

For Row 8 (wrong side)

Identify the working yarn. Pull it straight up towards you, separating it from the other strands.

Take the working yarn towards the right, then under the other strands and purl.

For Row 9 (right side)

For the Contrast Colors, work in the same way as described above for Rows 1, 5 and 7: Identify the working yarn, take it towards the right, then under the other strands and knit.

For the Main Color, carry it across the top of the one Contrast Color to its left.

Pattern

Begin with a Rolled Edge

With MC, cast on 104 stitches.

Row 1 (right side): Knit.

Row 2: Purl.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 one time.

Work First Section of Fair Isle

Row 1 (right side): *K1 with MC, k1 with CC1, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 2: *P1 with MC, p1 with CC1, repeat from * to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 for 38 inches.

Transition to CC2

Row 1 (right side): *K1 with MC, k1 with CC2, [k1 with MC, k1 with CC1] three times, repeat from * to end of row. Cut CC2.

Row 2: *P1 with MC, p1 with CC1, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 3: *K1 with MC, k1 with CC1, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 4: Repeat Row 2.

Row 5: *[K1 with MC, k1 with CC1] three times, k1 with MC, k1 with CC2, repeat from * to end of row. Cut CC2.

Row 6: Repeat Row 2.

Row 7: Repeat Row 1.

Row 8: *[P1 with MC, p1 with CC1] two times, p1 with MC, p1 with CC2, repeat from * to last two stitches, p1 with MC, p1 with CC1.

Row 9: *K1 with MC, k1, with CC1, k1 with MC, k1 with CC2, repeat from * to end of row. Cut CC1.

Row 10: *P1 with MC, p1 with CC2, repeat from * to end of row.

Work Second Section of Fair Isle

Row 1 (right side): *K1 with MC, k1 with CC2, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 2: *P1 with MC, p1 with CC2, repeat from * to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 for 26 inches.

Transition to CC3

Row 1 (right side): *K1 with MC, k1 with CC3, [k1 with MC, k1 with CC2] three times, repeat from * to end of

row. Cut CC3.

Row 2: *P1 with MC, p1 with CC2, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 3: *K1 with MC, k1 with CC2, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 4: Repeat Row 2.

Row 5: *[K1 with MC, k1 with CC2] three times, k1 with MC, k1 with CC3, repeat from * to end of row. Cut CC3.

Row 6: Repeat Row 2.

Row 7: Repeat Row 1.

Row 8: *[P1 with MC, p1 with CC2] two times, p1 with MC, p1 with CC3, repeat from * to last two stitches, p1 with MC, p1 with CC2.

Row 9: *K1 with MC, k1, with CC2, k1 with MC, k1 with CC3, repeat from * to end of row. Cut CC2.

Row 10: *P1 with MC, p1 with CC3, repeat from * to end of row.

Work Third Section of Fair Isle

Row 1 (right side): *K1 with MC, k1 with CC3, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 2: *P1 with MC, p1 with CC3, repeat from * to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 for 12 inches.

Transition to CC4

Row 1 (right side): *K1 with MC, k1 with CC4, [k1 with MC, k1 with CC3] three times, repeat from * to end of round. Cut CC4.

Row 2: *P1 with MC, p1 with CC3, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 3: *K1 with MC, k1 with CC3, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 4: Repeat Row 2.

Row 5: *[K1 with MC, k1 with CC3] three times, k1 with MC, k1 with CC4, repeat from * to end of row. Cut CC4.

Row 6: Repeat Row 2.

Row 7: Repeat Row 1.

Row 8: *[P1 with MC, p1 with CC3] two times, p1 with MC, p1 with CC4, repeat from * to last two stitches, p1 with MC, p1 with CC3.

Row 9: *K1 with MC, k1, with CC3, k1 with MC, k1 with CC4, repeat from * to end of row. Cut CC3.

Row 10: *P1 with MC, p1 with CC4, repeat from * to end of row.

Work Final Section of Fair Isle

Row 1 (right side): *K1 with MC, k1 with CC4, repeat from * to end of row.

123 Responses to Arctic Wrap

Hi Alison.Yes, this is a very easy pattern to adjust. If you'd like to change the width of the wrap just be sure to cast on a multiple of 8 stitches. For approximately 1/2 this width (at the same gauge) I would cast on either 48 or 56 stitches. For approx. 1/3 this width, I would cast on 32 or 40 stitches.

I'll let Whitney know how much you love the Stitch Block Cowl. She'll be happy to hear it.Thanks,Laura

Hi Laura,
I love the Artic Wrap but would like to alter it for a warmer weather. How many skeins of the Line Weight yarn would I require for a similar sized Artic Wrap? If not Line Weight, what other types of yarn would be suitable?

I adore our Line Weight yarn, but it is incredibly thin and perhaps not ideal for this scarf. I would suggest Blue Sky’s Sport Weight in either Solids or Melange. It does very well in fair isle stitch patterns. Another great yarn for this would be Anzuala’s Cricket. In fact using the Blue Sky Sport Weight for the white or off white color and then the Anzula Cricket for the colors could be a wonderful combination… using an aplaca and a merino together, like the original! Or you could flip flop that idea and use the Anzula for the white and the Blue Sky for the color. This would probably work out better yardage wise!

As for yardage… That is a very tricky conversion to calculate. The original is quite generous in size. For a nice size wrap, I think that 7 skeins of Blue Sky + the same yardage in white (770 yards) would be a great amount. But you could go up to 10 skeins of blue yarns in Blue Sky Sport Weight + 1110 yards of white. Personally, I would make a swatch of an entire skein and then calculate how many more skeins you’ll need. It’s kind of an undertaking, but perhaps worth it to get the materials right from the start.

Please let me know if you have any questions at all! I promise to be quicker with my next response.
Thanks for writing in.
Laura

Hi Claude,
Interesting question. I do not believe that you will have to modify the pattern. The only portion that may be tricky is when you’re twisting 3 yarns across the back. You may need to twist them in the opposite direction, but I believe this will become very clear as soon as your swatching it up!
Let us know how it goes!
Thanks for writing in.
Lauta

This is a lovely and effective pattern.
However, the transition rows are a nightmare, as the twisting required actually braids the three yarns (whichever side you try, left or right – I use both styles in the regular rows, a thread from each side, which works well) so you are constantly untangling the threads… and the alpaca sticks. I was ready to throw the whole thing in the corner and only prevented myself from not doing so because I am only knitting the pattern in scarf width…
Sorry, but I think negative feedback is worth something, too!

Hi MelD.
Thanks for sharing your experience with this wrap. The transition rows can most definitely be frustrating. It’s great to have this point of view here. We appreciate you taking the time to send your feedback.

Some people skipped the transition rows and just worked in color blocked fair isle. It’s a great alternative if you don’t want to mess with those transitions.

I find that I twist the yard because I always turn the project the same direction. So I’ve tried to get myself in the habit of turning the project the opposite direction every other row that way I don’t create so much twist my yarn.

hi! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH I CAN’T STOP LOOKING AT IT AHHHHHH
Ahem.
I will likely make this when I a) have enough money to buy the yarn, and b) when I have a bit more knitting skill.
Anyways I have been studying this pattern. (Obsessively) and I was wondering… In the picture it looks like there is a fair amount more of the MC (white) on one end of the scarf than the pattern describes? Am I missing something? It says to do 4 rows of MC only, (In the begin with a rolled edge section) but it looks like.. a whole lot more?
Just looking for some clarification. No rush.

As for the ends… the pattern is correct. There are just 4 rows of stockinette before the fair isle pattern begins and just 4 rows of stockinette after the fair isle ends.
Thanks for writing in.
Best,
Laura

I’ve only read up to “Working first section of fairisle” and I’m already confused.

It’s probably because I’m not a knitter but I’m inspired to try knitting this beautiful scarf. The instructions, however, read “Row 1 (right side): *K1 with MC, k1 with CC1, repeat from * to end of row.” and I don’t know how that second colour of yarn, the CC1, gets integrated into the row. I’m sure this is probably basic knowledge to a knittter, but I’m only learning to knit so may someone clarify this for me? Thanks!

Hi Lisa.
I love that you’ve picked such a great big project to learn how to knit.
This wrap is knit in Fair Isle. It’s a type of colorwork knitting that involves carrying multiple strands of yarn across your work at once. In terms of joining CC1 to the work, when it’s time to start using CC1 simply begin knitting with it. There are lots of tricks to fair isle knitting. I wish we had a more intensive tutorial about it. I hate to send you to another site, but maybe take a look at this tutorial on the basics of fair isle… http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/fair-isle-color-knitting
I think it may help you.
Please let me know if you have any questions at all!
Thanks.
Laura

Kendra,
I think this would be an incredible baby blanket. The edges do roll a bit, so keep that in mind when you’re figuring out how many stitches to cast on. My wrap measures 20 inches wide x 90 inches long. I think if you were doing a blanket that is roughly 30 to 36 inches wide x 40 to 48 inches long… maybe you’d need about 3 skeins of Heirloom White and then, 2 skeins of CC1, and 1 skein of CC2 and CC3 and CC4 (depending on how many contrast colors you are using).

Hi Kendra.
Happy to help!
I would cast on 176 for a width of about 34 1/2 to 35 inches.
As for how many inches to knit for each section… If you make it about 44 or 45 inches long… I would do:
CC1 for 21 inches
CC2 for 14 inches
CC3 for 7 inches
CC4 for 2 to 3 inches
CanNOT wait to hear how this goes!
Laura

I’ve been day dreaming about this since the spring and can’t wait to start it as my early christmas present to myself. Have you diagramed the pattern? When working fair isle I always depend on a visual pattern rather than the MC and CC greek that comes from written pattern descriptions. Any way to have a PDF of the pattern sent along with the yarns when I order the arctic wrap kit? I’d be forever grateful, otherwise, I might just diagram it myself and send it along for proofreading 🙂

Hi Marjorie.
Sadly we do not have a diagram for this particular pattern nor do we have a PDF of the pattern. We are working on making our site easier to print from but in the meantime we recommend using printfriendly.com.
Thank you so much for your interest in the pattern and thanks for writing in.
Laura

This is stunning. I’ve already pulled yarn colors to make an afghan for my new living room. Thanks for the information for adjusting the size. Quick question, on the first section of fair isle, row 2 says to purl 1 with MC, purl 1 with CC across. It seems like this would line up the colors in vertical stripes with row 1 instead ofor the FI pattern . I’m casting on tonight.

Hi Rosie.
Thanks! I’m thrilled you like it.
As for your question… Row 1 ends with a CC stitch, Row 2 begins with a MC stitch. So the colors will be staggered here, not lined up.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Laura

I absolutely love this pattern! It is a work of art!
I have one question. Is row 8 correct?
I was knitting up a small sample using 16 stitches (I’m assuming that the pattern is in multiples of 8) but when I follow the instructions for row 8 there is only 14 stitches. Am I missing something? Should it be repeated 3x like in row 5? Please help me. I would like to start this ASAP
Thanks
Peg

Hi Peg.
I am so glad you wrote in. I see how in previous comments, I overlooked this row when telling folks how to modify the pattern.

The cast on is 104, which is divisible by 8! But not all of the rows are multiples of 8. For instance… In each of the Transition sections, Row 8 has a multiple of 6 + 2, which works with 104 stitches, but does not work with 16 stitches. It would work across 20 stitches.

Thank you for the comment! Does it look like vertical or horizontal stripes? The fair isle pattern should look like a checkerboard, so every stitch should have have a contrast color stitch on both sides of the main color stitch as well as above and below it.
I hope this helps clarify and if you are still unsure feel free to write us back!

For the Red and Green colorways we don’t have as much of a color selection in Alpaca Pure, but you can absolutely substitute it and make the entire wrap out of Worsted Twist and Worsted Twist Heathers! You can browse those color selections here; https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/search/?search_keywords=worsted+twist
Here are the colorways I put together for those 2 colors.
Red:
Red Zinnia, Mixed Berry, Red Cayenne and Paprika Red
Green:
Artemisia Green, Lichen Green, Mixed Olive, Moody Green
I hope you like these and feel free to write back if you’d like anymore suggestions!

Hi Laura,
I am preparing to start this project and am pretty excited about it. However, I’m having a problem creating a pretty edge when I swatch. Do you have a recommendation for how to fix a sloppy edge or a way to knit it differently? I’ve looked around online and not found anything helpful about stockinette edgings when working in fair isle.
Thanks!
Julie

Hi Julie.
The lack of tidiness at the edge may be a matter of practicing. You may find that after a few more rows, your hands will relax and your tension will even out and the edges will even up. When working the edges I suggest trying to pay close attention to how tight or loose you’re working for last and first stitches of the row. Also, and this is no fix, but may give you some peace of mind… blocking will help even things out AND these edges are definitely going to roll in some, hiding the edges a bit.
Thanks for writing in and please do not hesitate to write back in with any questions!!
Laura

Love this amazing wrap! I’ve just started knitting it in Melbourne, Australia (a long way from you!) and I’m finding it hard to tell from the pictures if the final, darkest colour (Dark Loam) is a very very dark blue or more of a charchoal-ey black… Would be great if you could clarify for me!
Cheers,
Emma

Hi Emma.
Thanks for writing in. Dark Loam is not a blue. It’s more of a black color. If you’d like to see a larger size image of that color, feel free to check out that product page: https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/9307-Purl-Soho-Alpaca-Pure. If you click the thumbnail the image will enlarge. Please let us know if you have any questions! -Laura

Hi, I bought yarn from your online store for a smaller scarf version of this beautiful wrap, and am almost done. I would like to knit a matching hat, but am a bit daunted by trying to convert the pattern on my own. Also wonder if the back of the transition sections might be too bumpy for a hat. Can you post a matching hat pattern, or suggest easy adjustments to another one that would go well with this wrap/scarf? Thanks!

Hi ADS.
Thanks for writing in. I’m afraid, we currently do not have a hat designed specifically to match the Arctic Wrap, but what a great idea! I appreciate the request! I’ll try and get it on my list of things to knit.

We do have a lot of other free hat patterns though. I used the same twining method for the Elfin Hat as I did for the color transitions in the Arctic Wrap. I didn’t find it too bulky, but I was also only working with 2 strands of yarn, not 3. I think it would work with three though.

Thank you for writing in.
Please let us know if you have any questions (or other great requests!).
Laura

This is a beautifully written pattern and wrap! I love Fair Isle knitting patterns but have been petrified to try them. Your photos and explanation of the carrying overs make sense to me! I am so excited to actually try Fair Isle knitting now. Thank you so much!

Hi Felicia.
Thank you for writing in. We specialize in hand knitting and sadly I am not equipped to answer that question for you. Hopefully someone from our brilliant community will see your question and respond. I apologize I can’t personally be of more help. Thank you for your interest in our pattern though!
Best,
Laura

Thank you for writing in! Sorry for the delayed response! The fair isle and color change stitching are what give this wrap its distinctive look, without these you’re basically knitting in stockinette. So, to knit this with one color, you’d cast on the 104 stitches then:

Row 1 (right side): Knit
Row 2: Purl

You’ll just repeat that until your wrap is 90-inches long. Then bind off in knit and weave in the ends and block as desired.

I am new to knitting, and was wondering, your instructions say cast on MC, and then for “Work First Section of Fair Isle” you start using the CC1. Do you just pick up the CC1 or do you cast on with it as well?

Welcome to the knitting world! When working the first and future fair isle sections, you will not be casting on extra stitches. Knit into the row with the contrasting colors as they come. Some rows will have you working with 2 colors and other rows knitting with 3 colors.

I hope that this helps and best of luck on your first fair isle!
Cassy

I love this scarf!! It is just gorgeous! I would really want to do it! It’s a nice challenge!
But it’s a bit to wide and long for me! Is it possible to make it shorter : like 15 inches wide and 70 inches long? With that said, how many stiches will i have to make? How many rows will i have to delete and where, so it won’t alter to much the pattern? And finally, how many skein of each color will i have to use? I will take the same yarn you did!! I hope it’s not too much trouble to answers all my questions!!

Hope I will hear from you very soon! I can’t wait starting knitting this beautiful piece!

Thanks so much for your kind words! I would cast on around 80 stitches for the width you desire if you are hitting gauge. Since the fair isle pattern progresses by counting inches, I would eliminate roughly 25% of the inches needed before moving on to the next stitch pattern. This way your scarf will go from 90″ to roughly 68″. Please note that you will be completing all the “transition” sections as they are written exactly. I hope this helps! Good luck and happy knitting.

Thank you for writing in! The fair isle and color change stitching are what give this wrap its distinctive look and thick fabric, without these you’re basically knitting in stockinette. Additionally, Cashmere Merino Bloom is a bit thinner than the yarns used here. To knit this with one color, I would suggest knitting a gauge swatch and multiplying the number of stitches per inch by 20 inches to get your cast on number.

Row 1 (right side): Knit
Row 2: Purl

You’ll just repeat that until your wrap is 90-inches long. Then bind off in knit and weave in the ends and block as desired.

Hi, I’m wondering if you have any recommendations or tips on how to create a nice edging on the two sides of the wrap. My stitches are somewhat uneven and unfinished looking.
Would it work to do a slip stitch at one end?
Love the pattern and colors!
Thanks!

Thanks for writing in! The edges do roll up slightly. After blocking. though, you loose only about an inch in width and an inch in length due to the rolled edges. Since the fabric is worked in Fair Isle it does not behave like a strictly stockinette stitch fabric would. The two yarns (sometimes three) keep the edges from rolling as they would if worked in just one yarn.

Before blocking, the edges will roll some, don’t be worried though, blocking will help relax the fabric. If you would still like to curtail the rolling, you may want to add an applied i-cord edging. Directions can be found here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/attached-i-cord-tutorial/

I’m in love with this scarf! It’s much harder than anything I’ve done before (managed to tackle the mosaic blanket last year!) I’ve been studying the pattern and this might be a silly question but when you say ‘cut CC1’ – what does that mean? Do you literally cut the yarn off? Will it not unravel?? Or do you just weave the tail in?

Hi,
I would really love to make this in the Glacier colourway. Since there are colours no longer available do you have any other yarn suggestions to get a similar fabric and colourway to the Glacier colourway?
It really looks an exceptional scarf in the pictures.

Thanks for writing in and for your kind words! To replace the colors that have been discontinued, I would suggest Worsted Twist in Artemesia Green (2 skeins instead of the 3 used in Alpaca Pure), Faded Blue in Worsted Twist, Timeless Navy in either Worsted Twist or Alpaca Pure and Stillwater Blue or Toasted Charcoal in Worsted Twist.

Hello Lisa,
Thank you for reaching out! As seen in the photos the scarf is designed to have a small amount of curling, however not a sausage amount. If you haven’t blocked your wrap then I would recommend trying that. Before blocking, the edges will roll some, don’t be worried though, blocking will help relax the fabric.

Looks like there was a mixup! I see that you’ve replied to me, but you’ve actually answered Lisa’s question 🙂 My comment seems to have disappeared into the ether. Here was my question:

Hello! I’ve been wanting to make this beautiful wrap for years, and I’ve decided this fall is finally the time. However, I’d like to change the dimensions a bit, since I like really long scarves like this one to be a bit wider. I was hoping to make it more like 30×75 inches. My plan is to increase the cast on stitches to 160 (should work, since this pattern requires a multiple of 8, right? And since I want the piece to be roughly 1.5 times wider, hopefully 160 is in the right range). Then I was thinking to leave the transition sections the same and just decrease the number of inches in each fair isle section by about 15% to shorten the overall length a bit (so for the first section, about 32 inches rather than 38). Do you think this will work out? Any suggestions you have on how to modify the pattern would be greatly appreciated! I also assume I’d need more yarn, since my square footage is larger than the original pattern’s. Do you think I will mostly need more of the main white color? I’m unsure of how much leftover there is for each of the contrast colors. Thanks so much in advance for your help!

Hello Caroline,
Woops! Thanks for catching that! All of your calculations sound on point. I would get an extra skein of every color and two extra for the white. If you don’t use the second skein of white you can always return your unwind skein for store credit.
I hope this helps and let me know how your project goes!
Happy knitting!
-Marilla

I love this scarf and have wanted to knit it for a long time, but I see the only bundle now offered is the ‘Mountain’ bundle, which I’m not interested in. Do you still have the same colors that made up the ‘Glacier’ bundle? It was that perfect combination of colors that drew me in the most, and I’m not sure if substitutions would have the same magic. Regardless, it’s an absolute gorgeous scarf. Thank you.

Thanks for writing in and for your very kind words! The Glacier colorway is quite lovely! Artemisia Green and Timeless Navy have been discontinued in Alpaca Pure but both are available in Worsted Twist and you can easily swap the Alpaca Pure for Worsted Twist here!

Hello Natcha,
Thank you for writing in! We wove in all of our ends for this project. when knitting you will always want to weave in each end individually. For some useful tips on Weaving in your ends check out this great tutorial .
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla

Hello, I made the Artic Wrap scarf using your Worsted Twist yarns and I just love it! It was so much fun to make.

I would like to make a hat and fingerless mittens/gloves to go with the wrap using the Worsted Twist yarn and I would like to adapt the patterns to use the Fair Isle pattern that was used in the wrap. Can you please recommend patterns for hats and fingerless mittens/gloves that would work for this?

Hello Ellen,
Thank you for reaching out- i’m so happy to hear your wrap worked out so well! I love your matching hat and mittens idea. Unfortunately we do not currently have patterns that would match this wrap, but as long as your pattern is for a worsted weight yarn you could add the Fair Isle pattern. I would recommend doing a quick search on Raverly for basic hats and mittens in worsted weight and go from there!
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla